# Native American/Early Settler's Tobacco



## Spectabalis (May 17, 2010)

O.K., so here we are in 2010 surrounded by a plethora of different types, styles and flavours of tobacco.
Being a fan of western movies, seeing the native Indian chief smoking his peace pipe has always had me wondering what kind of tobacco would have been available back then. Same applies to the early settlers/pioneers. We all remember Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes, contentedly smoking his pipe, but for the early settlers/pioneers what would they have smoked? I know they wouldn't have been waiting for a delivery of FVF or they would still be waiting to travel west!
Thanks, Roger.


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## Breakaway500 (May 7, 2010)

Excellent question..and I will be awaiting the answers with baited breath. I am a big fan of Eli Wallach.A great actor who never received much respect.


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## Jessefive (Oct 21, 2009)

My wife took the kids to a pow-wow earlier this summer. She brought me back a baggie of tobacco called "Kinnick-Kinnick." It says that it contains: Tobacco, Red Willow, Spearmint, Bear Berry, Mullen, and Deer Toungue Leaf. I have no idea how traditional this is, but I would imagine its something akin to what would have been smoked by the Native Americans in the time of the settlers. 
Of course, I forgot about it, so now its completely dried out.


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

Here's some info on tobacco's smoked by early colonists.

John Rolfe -- Jamestown Rediscovery


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## Spectabalis (May 17, 2010)

indigosmoke said:


> Here's some info on tobacco's smoked by early colonists.
> 
> John Rolfe -- Jamestown Rediscovery


Thanks John, a very informative article.


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## phineasrex (Jul 12, 2010)

I would also recommend checking out The Smoke of The Gods: A Social History of Tobacco by Eric Burns


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## Breakaway500 (May 7, 2010)

It's too bad the US cigarette industry pimped tobacco to the point of it becoming a public nuisance.


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## Davetopay (Jan 19, 2008)

The "pow wow" mixture mentioned above sounds a lot like this stuff I had sent to me in a sampler/bomb years ago. It was made by American Spirit.


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## Brilliant (Jan 28, 2010)

I did a little digging to see if i could find some info. All i could find were dead links to the American Spirit pow-wow blend but it does/did exist. I did however come across a great website on making your own "blend" kinnikinnick...


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## Spectabalis (May 17, 2010)

Thanks a lot Harry, interesting website, also the links at the bottom.
Roger.


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## nanotech (Oct 27, 2008)

interesting stuff...I'd like to do some research on that this winter myself. I'd like to know much more about tobacco processes, history, etc.


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## Coffee-Cup (Jan 26, 2010)

indigosmoke said:


> Here's some info on tobacco's smoked by early colonists.
> 
> John Rolfe -- Jamestown Rediscovery


John! This is a very good article and I really enjoyed reading it.:thumb:


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## juni (Oct 16, 2009)

I found this info:

"... Also, the type of tobacco used depends on tribal custom. The tobacco could also be mixed with sweet smelling herbs, barks and roots such as bayberry, bearberry, mugwort, lovage, red will inner barnk, wild cherry bark and many others indigenous to a local area. The cultivation of the tobacco and the mixture preparation were the sacred responsibility of the "Tobacco Society" of the tribe, and practices varied in each area. "

How about some mugwort with your virginias?


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## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

juni said:


> I found this info:
> 
> "... Also, the type of tobacco used depends on tribal custom. The tobacco could also be mixed with sweet smelling herbs, barks and roots such as bayberry, bearberry, mugwort, lovage, red will inner barnk, wild cherry bark and many others indigenous to a local area. The cultivation of the tobacco and the mixture preparation were the sacred responsibility of the "Tobacco Society" of the tribe, and practices varied in each area. "
> 
> How about some mugwort with your virginias?


We probably don't know what we're missing. I've been intersted in smoking mixtures lately. The chief difference between a mixture and a blend is that blends are all tobacco - just different varieties. There are mixtures out there today, like Balkans that contain the deer tongue plant's leaves.


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## keenween (Jun 25, 2007)

Isn't Tambolaka fairly straightforward stuff?



drastic_quench said:


> We probably don't know what we're missing.


I agree!


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## dakrido (Jan 6, 2010)

i think motherearthtobacco (.com), comes close to what we talk about here.


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